I recently had to evict my only child, his wife and their 3 children from my home. Four years ago they were evicted from the home they rented and had nowhere to turn. I allowed them to move in with me as I was widowed and as my son reasoned…they could help me keep the place up since I was elderly and on a fixed income. But within a year they convinced me to move into an old camper my son had bought as there wasn’t enough room in my small home for 6 people. With promises of fixing all that needed fixed and adding on another room for me to have more space, I stepped out in faith…after all, he would be inheriting his childhood home in a few years anyway as my health was failing. But the years passed and nothing was being done, the camper was too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer, and frequently I would go months without running water or proper sewage disposal. The roof was leaking terribly. During this time, they were destroying my home. Finally after 4 years of excuses and them living rent free off my meager resources I had to ask them to leave. I gave them 6 months notice. But they continued to act as tho nothing was going to change. And then finally they left, taking only a few choice items with them, and leaving me with a bed bug infested home that was overrun with garbage and almost entirely torn to pieces. Holes in walls, wallpaper ripped off the walls, ruined carpeting, furniture and appliances. Utterly destroyed by anyone’s standards and completely unrepentant. I’ve cried aloud with no understanding and I’m working to clean and dispose of it all as best I can on my own. My church came out to tend the yard and burn most of my furnishings and a lot of the garbage. But I am alone trying to clean it up so I can move back in. Its a very slow process and I’m struggling to cope with it all. No angry words were spoken, I think I was just too stunned and hurt to even go there. I know I must forgive them and I’m definitely leaning on God’s promises…I will never leave you nor forsake you. What’s done is done and now I must move on as best I can. Remember me in your prayers that I will remain strong and mostly that I will find the strength to continue on, trust God for my needs and be able to forgive something I can’t even begin to understand. Thank you all.
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